Diet and seed dispersal potential of the white-lined bat,Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroy, 1810), at a site in northeastern Brazil

This study provides insights into the dispersal potential of Platyrrhinus lineatus and its role in habitat regeneration. The study site was an urbanized area in northeastern Brazil. Fecal samples were collected at the roost of a colony during 13 months. Seven species were present in the samples, three of which were exotic. Cecropia glaziovii, Solanum stipulaceum and Coccothrinax barbadensis predominated in the diet of the colony. The large numbers of seeds of pioneer species, and the exotic species present in the diet of the colony emphasize the role of P. lineatus in the regeneration of habitats, and its ecological flexibility.     

Effect of imidazole on renal gluconeogenesis

The metabolic effects of imidazole were tested in rat renal cortex. Imidazole enhanced the activity of renal cortical phosphodiesterase in vitro. Imidazole inhibited glucose production in a dose-dependent fashion from a variety of substrates in the gluconeogenic pathway proximal to the triose phosphates. The stimulation in renal gluconeogenesis resulting from isoproterenol and parathyroid hormone was inhibited by imidazole. These changes correlated with an inhibition of the augmented levels of renal cortical cyclic AMP levels produced by these hormones. These studies indicate that imidazole is an effective activator of phosphodiesterase in intact renal cells and lend further support to the suggestion that the stimulation of renal gluconeogenesis produced by isoproterenol and parathyroid hormone is mediated by a release of cyclic AMP.     

The effects of anatomical errors on shoulder kinematics computed using multi-body models

Joint motion calculated using multi-body models and inverse kinematics presents many advantages over direct marker-based calculations. However, the sensitivity of the computed kinematics is known to be partly caused by the model and could also be influenced by the participants’ anthropometry and sex. This study aimed to compare kinematics computed from an anatomical shoulder model based on medical images against a scaled-generic model and quantify the effects of anatomical errors and participants’ anthropometry on the calculated joint angles. Twelve participants have had planar shoulder movements experimentally captured in a motion lab, and their shoulder anatomy imaged using an MRI scanner. A shoulder multi-body dynamics model was developed for each participant, using both an image-based approach and a scaled-generic approach. Inverse kinematics have been performed using the two different modelling procedures and the three different experimental motions. Results have been compared using Bland–Altman analysis of agreement and further analysed using multi-linear regressions. Kinematics computed via an anatomical and a scaled-generic shoulder models differed in average from 3.2 to 5.4 degrees depending on the task. The MRI-based model presented smaller limits of agreement to direct kinematics than the scaled-generic model. Finally, the regression model predictors, including anatomical errors, sex, and BMI of the participant, explained from 41 to 80% of the kinematic variability between model types with respect to the task. This study highlighted the consequences of modelling precision, quantified the effects of anatomical errors on the shoulder kinematics, and showed that participants' anthropometry and sex could indirectly affect kinematic outcomes.

     

Influence of nutrients on enhancing laccase production by Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05.

The physiological requirements needed to enhance the production of laccases by the ascomycete Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05 in submerged cultivation were examined under non-induced and induced (veratryl alcohol, VA) conditions. Under non-induced conditions (-VA), the initial pH, C:N ratio, and inorganic N source did not influence laccase production, in contrast to Tween 80, soybean oil, and copper, which significantly increased laccase production, and proline and urea, which suppressed laccase formation. In addition, Tween 60 could serve as the sole carbon source for the production of these enzymes. Under VA-induced conditions of fungal growth, factors such as inoculum type, time-point of addition of inducer, initial pH, C:N ratio, and type of N source, influenced the production of laccases; however, unlike the non-induced conditions, proline and urea did not act as suppressors. Each of these physiological conditions exerted different effects on biomass production. The nutritional conditions examined for B. rhodina MAMB-05 are discussed in relation to their influence on fungal growth and laccase production.     

Novel dermaseptins from Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis (Amphibia)

Six new antimicrobial peptides structurally related to the dermaseptin family have been isolated from the skin secretion of the amphibian Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis. The primary structures of these molecules named as DShypo 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, and 07 were determined by de novo MS/MS experiments, Edman degradation, and cDNA sequencing. The fifth peptide was found to be precisely the same DS 01 from Phyllomedusa oreades previously described by our group. The majority of the peptides purified from the crude skin secretion could be directly localized and mapped onto a freshly dissected dorsal skin fragment using mass spectrometry-imaging techniques. Comparisons between peptides and commercial drugs on their antibacterial and anti-Leishmania amazonensis efficiencies, associated with peptide lytic effects on mammalian blood cells and surface plasmon resonance interaction studies on immobilized DMPC vesicles, were also performed.     

Alternative body sites for heat stress measurement in milking cows under tropical conditions and their relationship to the thermal discomfort of the animals

This study was conducted to determine the relationship among temperatures measured at different anatomical sites of the animal body and their daily pattern as indicative of the thermal stress in lactating dairy cows under tropical conditions. Environmental dry bulb (DBT) and black globe (BGT) temperatures and relative humidity (RH) were recorded. Rectal temperature (RT), respiratory frequency (RF), body surface (BST), internal base of tail (TT), vulva (VT) and auricular temperatures (AT) were collected, from 37 Black and White Holstein cows at 0700, 1300 and 1800 hours. RT showed a moderately and positive correlations with all body temperatures, ranging from 0.59 with TT to 0.64 with BST. Correlations among AT, VT and TT with RF were very similar (from 0.63 to 0.64) and were greater than those observed for RF with RT (0.55) or with BST (0.54). RF and RT were positively correlated to TT (0.63 and 0.59, respectively), AT (r = 0.63 for both) and VT (r = 0.64 and 0.63, respectively). Positive and very high correlations were observed among AT, VT and TT (from 0.94 to 0.97) indicating good association of temperatures measured in these anatomical sites. Correlations of BST with AT and VT were positive and very similar (0.71 and 0.72, respectively) and lower with TT (0.66). The AT, TT, VT and BST presented similar patterns and follow the variations of DBT through the day. Temperatures measured at different anatomical sites of the animal body have the potential to be used as indicative of the thermal stress in lactating dairy cows.     

A resistance gene analog useful for targeting disease resistance genes against different pathogens on group 1S chromosomes of barley,wheat and rye

Comparative sequence analysis of the resistance gene analog (RGA) marker locus aACT/CAA (originally found to be tightly linked to the multiallelic barley Mla cluster) from genomes of barley, wheat and rye revealed a high level of relatedness among one another and showed high similarity to a various number of NBS-LRR disease resistance proteins. Using the sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), RGA marker aACT/CAA was mapped on group 1S chromosomes of the Triticeae and was associated with disease resistance loci. In barley and rye, the marker showed linkage to orthologous powdery mildew resistance genes Mla1 and Pm17, respectively, while in wheat linkage with a QTL against fusarium head blight (FHB) disease was determined. The use of RGA clones for R gene mapping and their role in the expression of qualitative and quantitative resistance is discussed.     

Buffalo Cheese Whey Proteins,Identification of a 24 kDa Protein and Characterization of Their Hydrolysates: In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion

Milk whey proteins are well known for their high biological value and versatile functional properties, characteristics that allow its wide use in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this work, a 24 kDa protein from buffalo cheese whey was analyzed by mass spectrometry and presented homology with Bos taurus beta-lactoglobulin. In addition, the proteins present in buffalo cheese whey were hydrolyzed with pepsin and with different combinations of trypsin, chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase-A. When the TNBS method was used the obtained hydrolysates presented DH of 55 and 62% for H1 and H2, respectively. Otherwise for the OPA method the DH was 27 and 43% for H1 and H2, respectively. The total antioxidant activities of the H1 and H2 samples with and without previous enzymatic hydrolysis, determined by DPPH using diphenyl-p-picrylhydrazyl radical, was 4.9 and 12 mM of Trolox equivalents (TE) for H2 and H2Dint, respectively. The increased concentrations for H1 and H2 samples were approximately 99% and 75%, respectively. The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion efficiency for the samples that were first hydrolyzed was higher compared with samples not submitted to previous hydrolysis. After in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, several amino acids were released in higher concentrations, and most of which were essential amino acids. These results suggest that buffalo cheese whey is a better source of bioavailable amino acids than bovine cheese whey.     

Patterns of Leaf Biochemical and Structural Properties of Cerrado Life Forms: Implications for Remote Sensing

AimThe general goal of this study is to investigate and analyze patterns of ecophysiological leaf traits and spectral response among life forms (trees, shrubs and lianas) in the Cerrado ecosystem. In this study, we first tested whether life forms are discriminated through leaf level functional traits. We then explored the correlation between leaf-level plant functional traits and spectral reflectance.LocationSerra do Cipo National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil.MethodsSix ecophysiological leaf traits were selected to best characterize differences between life forms in the woody plant community of the Cerrado. Results were compared to spectral vegetation indices to determine if plant groups provide means to separate leaf spectral responses.ResultsValues obtained from leaf traits were similar to results reported from other tropical dry sites. Trees and shrubs significantly differed from lianas in terms of the percentage of leaf water content and Specific Leaf Area. Spectral indices were insufficient to capture the differences of these key traits between groups, though indices were still adequately correlated to overall trait variation.ConclusionThe importance of life forms as biochemical and structurally distinctive groups is a significant finding for future remote sensing studies of vegetation, especially in arid and semi-arid environments. The traits we found as indicative of these groups (SLA and water content) are good candidates for spectral characterization. Future studies need to use the full wavelength (400 nm–2500 nm) in order to capture the potential response of these traits. The ecological linkage to water balance and life strategies encourages these traits as starting points for modeling plant communities using hyperspectral remote sensing.     

Sensitivity of a subject-specific musculoskeletal model to the uncertainties on the joint axes location

Subject-specific musculoskeletal models have become key tools in the clinical decision-making process. However, the sensitivity of the calculated solution to the unavoidable errors committed while deriving the model parameters from the available information is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to calculate the sensitivity of all the kinematics and kinetics variables to the inter-examiner uncertainty in the identification of the lower limb joint models. The study was based on the computer tomography of the entire lower-limb from a single donor and the motion capture from a body-matched volunteer. The hip, the knee and the ankle joint models were defined following the International Society of Biomechanics recommendations. Using a software interface, five expert anatomists identified on the donor's images the necessary bony locations five times with a three-day time interval. A detailed subject-specific musculoskeletal model was taken from an earlier study, and re-formulated to define the joint axes by inputting the necessary bony locations. Gait simulations were run using OpenSim within a Monte Carlo stochastic scheme, where the locations of the bony landmarks were varied randomly according to the estimated distributions. Trends for the joint angles, moments, and the muscle and joint forces did not substantially change after parameter perturbations. The highest variations were as follows: (a) 11° calculated for the hip rotation angle, (b) 1% BW × H calculated for the knee moment and (c) 0.33 BW calculated for the ankle plantarflexor muscles and the ankle joint forces. In conclusion, the identification of the joint axes from clinical images is a robust procedure for human movement modelling and simulation.